MEGA GALLERY: 2018 Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk

Trackhawk’s 707 horsepower headlines Jeep stand at New York International Auto Show.

While Dodge was stealing all the press at the New York International Auto Show with its plum-crazy, 9-second Challenger SRT Demon, Jeep was busy dropping its own bomb with the Hellcat-powered 2018 Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk: a track-ready SUV with 707 horsepower.

On the more mundane side, we also took some time to explore the redesigned 2018 Jeep Compass, so let’s take a look up close at the Jeeps from NYIAS.

We’re joyous that FCA didn’t alter the output of the Hellcat’s supercharged Hemi V8 for duty in the Grand Cherokee Trackhawk. Indeed, the Trackhawk gets the full-strength, 6.2-liter Hemi with a 2.4-liter IHI supercharger shoving 11.6 psi of boost down the V8’s gullet. Fittingly, the SUV will use those 11.6 pounds of boost to cover a quarter-mile in 11.6 seconds at 116 mph. That “1-1-6” theme is creepy, isn’t it?

It will also have a towing capacity of 7,200 pounds that will allow owners to tow their friend’s car to a track day and then spank around both vehicles.

What else do you need to know? You can check out our post on it from earlier this week for more details, but the short version is the raucous Grand Cherokee will have a beefed-up version of the Quadra-Trac all-wheel-drive system. It will also have a towing capacity of 7,200 pounds that will allow owners to tow their friend’s car to a track day and then spank around both vehicles.

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That track capability is thanks to a suspension lowered by a full inch with Bilstein adaptive damping suspension on all four corners, and the largest Brembo brakes ever put on any Jeep: six-piston calipers on 15.75-inch rotors in front, and four-piston calipers on 13.78 inches in back.

Standard 20×10-inch wheels come with a titanium finish. Optional lightweight forged aluminum wheels in Low Gloss Black not only save 12 pounds of rotational mass, but they also lend to a more aggressive look. Whichever wheel the buyer chooses, the Trackhawk comes with 295/45ZR20 Pirelli tires; either Scorpion Verde All-Seasons or P-Zero three-season tires.

Not only has Jeep put enough horsepower into a Grand Cherokee to reverse the Earth’s rotation, but they’ve also tuned the whole package to bump the candy-striped curbs of road courses with exuberance. The redesigned Compass’ looks might not be quite as insane, but it should continue as the best off-roading small SUV. With Chrysler’s 2.4-liter Tigershark four-cylinder, three transmission options (including a nine-speed automatic with 4×4 models) and a trail-ready Trackhawk model, the Compass points in the right direction for Jeep’s future.

Chime in with your thoughts on the forum. >>

photos via [Manuel Carrillo III]

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